Internal-combustion engine.



W. L. BREATH. INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE. APPLICATION FILED AUG. 20, 1910. 1,1 33,531 Patented Mar. 30, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

FIG. Q

W. L. BREATH. INTERNAL GOMBUSTION ENGINE. APPLIoATIoN FILED mazo, 1910.

v 1,133,531 .A Patented Mar. 30, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WILLIAM L. Banaan, or BROOKLYN, New Yoan. i

' INTEBNAIr-COMIBUSTION ENGINE.

T all whom t may concern Be it known that I, WILLIAM L. ABREATH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and" YState of New York, have invented anew and useful Internal-Combustion Engine, of which the following is a specication.

`My invention relates to gas engines and the like, and involves the construction of the larger and heavier parts of such engines of sheet metal,preferably stamped or drawn, as the exigencias bf the case require, in conltrad'istinc'tion to-following the present praci tice of making .such parts of castings. The

change in structure 'proposed not only cheapens the cost of construction, but mate.- rially saves in weight. Ilhe parts to/be made of sheet metal- 'particularly contemplated herein are the cylinders, base, crank-shaftbracket andbase cover.

ln the drawings which form a part hereof: Figure 1 -is a vertical transverseV section of a gas engine" constructed in accordance with the principles of my invention. Fig. 2 is a detail of a Inodication of apart of said e'iigine.- Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal section ofthe engine shown in Fig. l.

Like reference characters designate `like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings, l have therein shown by way of exemplication, a four cylinder engine in which the ,crank-shaft has been udesignated A, said shaft being journaled in the crank-shaft bearing bracket B. This bracket, which it will be observed, carries substantially all of the crank-shaft l Lbearings, dilers in form from the devices Jef this character as heretofore constructed which have lusually been castings, inthat'it is made of sheet metal, and furthermore, has

the supporting flangesE C thereof disposedl preferably considerably above the crankshaft, so that the shaft is actually hung or suspended from above, whereas in en` gines as' heretofore constructed, the shaft has been substantially level with said flanges, -or with the point'sof attachment of the bracket to its base; By reason of the change in question the material of which )the bracket is composed'is normally under tension and is not in exure,as in the usual The thin sheet metal whichit: is

7'oposed to use :in the construction of this adxzantag was taken of its great tensicnal -tjwould-,signally fail in rigidity unless Specification of Letters Patent.

v Patenten Mar.. so, iets.

Application mea August 2o, 1910. serial No. 572,205.

Fig. 1 is preferred. lt will be observed that the bracket-B is a single structure comprising the flanges c along the two sides by which the bracket is secured to the supporting structure, the cross-arms in which` the bearings are carried, and connecting webs c between the cross-arms and extending to l,the flanges c, the cross-arms and webs being channeled to impart stiliness thereto. This unitary structure affords great rigidity and strength to withstand the strains to which yarious parts of it are successively subjected by the force of the repeated explo: s1ons in the various cylinders. Another portibn of the engine which-I contemplate making lof stamped metal is the base D, said base being provided witha flange E around the bottom thereof to Vmatch the flanges of the bearing bracket to which it may be bolted, as well as to the supporting framing of the engine. x

The upper side a series 4of openings therein, one for each cylinder, said openings having curved .iianges therearound as at F. The cylinders may be drawn sheet metal tubes, having at the bottoms thereofcurved flanges G adapted to 'neatly lit inside the matching ianges of the base, the cylinder tubes being inserted into position from the bottom and being then welded securely Ato said base. The purpose of this construction is to Ibring the engine reactions directly on the metal flanges, and not on the welds; and it will be observed' that the'construction in question is peculiarly advantageous, in that the metal parts are not weakened as they would be 1f screw threads, or the like, had been emof the base has preferably ployed, but are actually strengthened by the top of the cylinder tubes atl. Each cylinder head may carry inlet and exhaustvalves and the usual spark-plug. The water jacket J is also preferably made of stamped sheet metal, thebottom of which may be flanged as' at K and shaped to' accurately conform to the base to which it is fused. At the bottom of the jacket are flanged openings, one for each' cylinder, the flanges of which openings are slightly taperedas shown at' I to fit corresponding tapers on the cylinder heads. For greater surety, as the water jacket will usually be madeof light gage metal, a ring Lis forced onto the tapered flange before this joint is fused.k Each jacket J is contoured near its bottom to form a double'v curve in the metal which allows for expansion'and contraction dueto heat; and the nature of this double 4curve is such that it formsin effect a substantially annular or ringlike diaphragm M, -the general plane of which is substantially normal;

to the axis of the cylinder. This diaphragm is coned or flexed in one direction or the other as the metal of thefjacket expands or contracts. ln the exemplification shown, the ring like diaphragm is not circular but is approximately ellipsoidal. An oil cover N made of stamped sheet metal, completes the closure around the crank-shaft.

From the foregoingit will be seen that nearly all of the essential parts of the engine may be made of steel metal, advantage being taken of the very high tensile strength which material of this description may possess; while at the same time the weight of cross-arms extending to the respective side l l flanges,: said cross-arms and the connecting web being channeled for the purpose set forth. A j j 2. In a engine, a cylinder of sheet metal, a -base therefor, and a crank-shaft driven by said cylinder, the base being apertured for the reception of said cylinder and the cylinder projecting through' said aperture and being flanged for engagement with the side of the base adjacent said crank shaft,- the reactive effort ofthe cylinder being carried by said ange, said Hange being tapered and` thereby aiding in centering the cylinder in the base aperture within which it is disposed. Y

i LBRETH.

Witnesses:

' H. CowAN,

J. l?. T. FULLER. 

